10 militia killed in DR Congo: army

Thursday May 24 2018

Soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) stand near a mobile multiple rocket launcher during an operation in Beni, North Kivu, on January 13, 2018. Ten suspected Ugandan rebels have been killed by DRC army in Beni. AFP PHOTO | ALAIN WANDIMOYI

In Summary

Suspected Ugandan militia members killed in an army offensive on the rebel base in eastern DRC.

The early morning operation in the Beni region targeted the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia.

The operation follows another flareup of violence in eastern DRC where a number of armed groups fight over the region's rich mineral resources.

Ten suspected Ugandan militia members have been killed in an army offensive on a rebel base in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the DRC military said Thursday.

The early morning operation in the Beni region of North Kivu province targeted the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia created by Muslim radicals to oppose Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni which also operates in the DRC.

General Marcel Mbangu, operations commander against Ugandan rebels in North Kivu, told AFP that at midday "provisional estimates" showed 10 ADF members had been killed.

Witnesses described hearing explosions from heavy and light weapons.

"This news gives hope — the army has gone on the offensive, even if there are still doubts about the enemy's identity," said Noella Muluwavyo, a civil society leader in the territory of Beni.

The operation follows another flareup of violence in eastern DRC where a number of armed groups fight over the region's rich mineral resources.